Understanding dual-ion storage benefits and challenges of all carbon-fiber-plate candidate electrodes in sodium-ion structural batteries Sandipan Maiti, Rajashree Konar, Leonardo Sbrascini, Anchali Jain, Maria João Regufe, Miguel Ángel Muñoz-Márquez Composites Part B Engineering, 2026 Structural batteries (SBs) are gaining attention for their potential to improve lightweight, radiation-free designs in defense and transportation. Applications include aircraft, unmanned aerial-vehicles (UAVs), electric-vehicles (EVs), public transit, and vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) platforms, enhancing performance and maximizing spatial efficiency by integrating energy storage into structural components. The current study focuses on the electrochemical properties of commercial carbon-fiber-plate (CFP) candidate electrode-based sodium-ion structural batteries (NISBs), specifically investigating their dual-ion storage mechanism. This research provides an in-depth understanding of the electrochemical behavior of CFP|Na cells across two voltage ranges: 0.01–3.0 V and 3.0–5.0 V, paving the way for the development of CFP|CFP functional devices. Data from CFP|Na cells operating in the 3.0–5.0 V range demonstrated stable cycling performance; however, it also revealed a less-than-optimal Coulombic efficiency (CE) due to the complex dual-ion storage kinetics. CFP|Na cells perform well within the 0.01–3.0 V range, showing favorable kinetics during both sodiation and de-sodiation. It's worth noting that these cells require at least 30 discharge-charge cycles to achieve their peak performance. The CFP|CFP symmetric full devices, fabricated using cycled CFP electrodes, demonstrated promising capabilities with good capacity and discharge potential. However, discrepancies in performance metrics need to be addressed for better NISB development. This research evaluates the practical applications of CFP-based NISB systems in relevant fields.
Methane upgrading on pelletised Maxsorb activated carbon by gas-phase simulated moving bed Rafael O. M. Dias, Maria J. Regufe, Ana A. Pereira, Alexandre F. P. Ferreira, Alírio E. Rodrigues, Ana M. Ribeiro Adsorption, 2025 To study the separation of methane and nitrogen mixtures by gas-phase simulated moving bed (SMB), Maxsorb activated carbon was pelletised by extrusion with 10% binder. Both argon and carbon dioxide were used as potential desorbent gases. The effectiveness of the adsorbent was assessed by analysing the adsorption equilibrium data and conducting fixed-bed experiments to determine the single and multicomponent dynamic adsorption behaviour. Pure component N2, CH4, Ar, and CO2 isotherms were measured at three different temperatures, up to 2.5 bar, using a volumetric method. The results show that CO2 exhibits the highest affinity to the solid phase, followed by CH4, N2, and Ar. Single, binary, and ternary fixed-bed experiments were performed, allowing the validation of the proposed mathematical model. Two SMB cycles were designed to separate a CH4/N2 mixture using each desorbent gas. The respective separation regions were drawn. Both processes achieved a high purity level for the methane stream (above 99%) and exhibited high recovery (above 97%). The obtained results were crossed with the previously studied BPL material, and the Maxsorb adsorbent showed better performance overall.
Recycling PCBs for nanoparticles production with potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and CO2 capture Lídia Cunha, Joana Monteiro, Aurora Futuro, Maria João Regufe, José Soeiro, Rui Sousa Waste Management, 2025 Electronic waste (e-waste) is a global problem, and many countries have established laws and regulations to promote its proper disposal and recycling. E-waste contains a significant content of printed circuit boards (PCBs), composed of metals and other valuable metals that may become scarce in Earth’s crust – Copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and others. The main objective of this review is to explore the potential for producing nanoparticles (NPs) from the metals extracted through PCB recycling, with applications in the cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture industries. For this purpose, the recycling methods for PCBs e-waste, using physical processes (gravity, magnetic, electrostatic separation, and flotation), metallurgical processes (pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy), and purification techniques to obtain an enriched metal solution for the subsequent nanoparticle synthesis was performed. The production of NPs is a novel approach to obtain value-added products for industry. Therefore, recent research from pre-treatment of PCBs to NPs production is summarized, aligning with the circular economy principles and sustainable development goals. Towards this end, wasted PCBs can be transformed into valuable materials with innovative and potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and carbon dioxide capture, contributing to a more sustainable future.
Study of methane upgrading using an activated carbon 3D-printed adsorbent Ana Pereira, Alexandre F.P. Ferreira, Alírio Rodrigues, Ana Mafalda Ribeiro, Maria João Regufe Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2024 Although Maxsorb is a commercially available powder-form material, to be used in adsorption-based processes, its handling is easier if used with a structured geometry. Indeed, in the monolithic form, activated carbons have shown the potential to be used in adsorption-based applications. The use of additive manufacturing (AM) allows the development of structured adsorbents with adaptable geometries. In this work, Maxsorb activated carbon was 3D-printed into a monolithic structure using a polymeric binding agent, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The monolith was obtained through direct writing of filaments of an ink containing the adsorbent and the binding agent in a layered way, according to a pre-established pattern. The material was comprehensively characterized by N2 physisorption at 77 K and CO2 adsorption at 273 K to analyze the porous structure, SEM, and mercury porosimetry to evaluate the macrostructure porosity. To examine the affinity of CH4 and N2 with the adsorbent, pure adsorption equilibrium isotherms of these two gases on the 3D-printed monolith were measured at 303, 333, and 373 K by a gravimetric method. The adsorption capacities were compared to the ones of the original powder. The activated carbon materials showed a higher affinity to CH4. Furthermore, the adsorption equilibrium data of CO2 and Ar were also assessed. For all gases, the adsorption capacities decreased upon shaping. The monolith's CH4/N2 ideal selectivity was compared with its pristine powder (2.84 vs. 3.54). The CH4/N2 separation performance was also assessed through dynamic breakthrough tests. The experimental breakthrough curves were well predicted using a mathematical model.
Propane and Propylene Separation with Carbon Dioxide at Mild Temperatures by Gas-Phase Simulated Moving Bed in Binderfree Zeolite 13X Rute Seabra, Rafael O. M. Dias, Maria J. Regufe, Ana Mafalda Ribeiro, Alírio E. Rodrigues, Alexandre F. P. Ferreira Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 2023 This work studied the separation of propane and propylene using carbon dioxide as a desorbent and binderfree zeolite 13X as adsorbent. The process occurred at a mild temperature (323 K) using the gas-simulated moving bed (SMB) technology. Adsorption equilibrium isotherms of propylene, propane, and carbon dioxide were measured gravimetrically in a temperature range from 323 to 423 K and a pressure up to 5 bar. Breakthrough experiments were performed at 323 K and 3 bar. Binary adsorption equilibrium data were obtained from the dynamic experiments. Non-ideal adsorption behavior was observed for the adsorbate–adsorbent pairs; therefore, the multicomponent adsorption equilibrium was predicted with the RAST-aNRTL model. An SMB experiment was performed in the gas-SMB unit. For the 0.5/0.5 propane/propylene (molar-based) feed composition, a propylene purity of 98.8% was obtained, with a recovery above 98% and a productivity of 40.8 kgC3H6 h–1 mads–3. This work experimentally demonstrated that it is possible to produce high-purity propylene with a high recovery using binderfree zeolite 13X as adsorbent and carbon dioxide as a desorbent at mild temperature (323 K).
Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries – Modeling Using Flat Sheet Supported Liquid Membranes Maria João Regufe, Ana Mafalda Ribeiro, Alexandre Filipe P. Ferreira, José Miguel Loureiro Chemical Engineering and Technology, 2022 Abstract To meet the world climate goals, sustainable and efficient technologies will be required. Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) emerge as state‐of‐the‐art power sources for all modern consumer electronic devices. This way, the recovery of components plays an important role in the spent LIBs recycling processes. Also, the challenge of research and development of industries is to develop a high number of valuables using the minimum number of experiments, providing low‐cost processes. Two models to be employed in flat sheet supported liquid membranes (FSSLMs) to estimate the behavior of ion concentrations during operation are proposed. Applying the simplified model it is possible to predict the behavior of the system, based on few experiments. This advance can be exciting in industry, such as in the lithium recovery from LIBs using membranes.
Understanding dual-ion storage benefits and challenges of all carbon-fiber-plate candidate electrodes in sodium-ion structural batteries S Maiti, R Konar, L Sbrascini, A Jain, MJ Regufe, MÁ Muñoz-Márquez Composites Part B: Engineering, 113216 , 2025 2025
Methane and nitrogen separation by Gas-SMB in activated carbon monoliths manufactured via 3D-printing A Pereira, ROM Dias, D Lourenço, MJ Regufe, AM Ribeiro, A Rodrigues, ... Chemical Engineering Journal 512, 162315 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Methane upgrading on pelletised Maxsorb activated carbon by gas-phase simulated moving bed ROM Dias, MJ Regufe, AA Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AE Rodrigues, ... Adsorption 31 (1), 7 , 2025 2025 Citations: 5
Recycling PCBs for nanoparticles production with potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and CO2 capture L Cunha, J Monteiro, A Futuro, MJ Regufe, J Soeiro, R Sousa Waste Management 191, 308-323 , 2025 2025 Citations: 10
Study of methane upgrading using an activated carbon 3D-printed adsorbent A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 12 (1), 111730 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Propane and propylene separation with Carbon Dioxide at mild temperatures by gas-phase simulated moving Bed in Binderfree Zeolite 13X R Seabra, ROM Dias, MJ Regufe, AM Ribeiro, AE Rodrigues, ... Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 62 (32), 12600-12612 , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
Evaluation of the potential of a 3D-printed hybrid zeolite 13X/activated carbon material for CO2/N2 separation using electric swing adsorption A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Chemical Engineering Journal 450, 138197 , 2022 2022 Citations: 51
3D Printed Hybrid Monolith for CO2 Capture A Pereira, A Ferreira, AE Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe 2022 AIChE Annual Meeting , 2022 2022
Bio-inspired algorithms in the optimisation of wireless sensor networks J Matos, CM Rebello, EA Costa, LP Queiroz, MJB Regufe, IBR Nogueira arXiv preprint arXiv:2210.04700 , 2022 2022 Citations: 8
Recycling of Lithium‐Ion Batteries–Modeling Using Flat Sheet Supported Liquid Membranes MJ Regufe, AM Ribeiro, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro Chemical Engineering & Technology 45 (4), 595-600 , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
A systematic review of sustainable gold extraction from raw ores using alternative leaching reagents R Sousa, MJ Regufe, A Fiúza, MM Leite, A Futuro The Extractive Industries and Society 9, 101018 , 2022 2022 Citations: 35
Additive manufacturing for adsorption‐related applications—a review A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AE Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing 4 (1), e10108 , 2022 2022 Citations: 43
Shaping of ZIF-8 and MIL-53 (Al) adsorbents for CH4/N2 separation A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 331, 111648 , 2022 2022 Citations: 32
A hybrid modeling framework for membrane separation processes: Application to lithium-ion recovery from batteries MJ Regufe, VV Santana, AFP Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, JM Loureiro, ... Processes 9 (11), 1939 , 2021 2021 Citations: 12
Current developments of carbon capture storage and/or utilization–looking for net-zero emissions defined in the Paris agreement MJ Regufe, A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, AE Rodrigues Energies 14 (9), 2406 , 2021 2021 Citations: 137
Sustainable Energy Management of Institutional Buildings through AS Sánchez, MJ Regufe, AM Ribeiro, IBR Nogueira AI and Learning Systems: Industrial Applications and Future Directions, 231 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
Current developments of carbon capture storage and/or utilization—looking for net-zero emissions defined in the Paris agreement. Energies, 14 MJ Regufe, A Pereira, A Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, AE Rodrigues doi 10, 2406 , 2021 2021 Citations: 9
A Hybrid Modeling Framework for Membrane Separation Processes: Application to Lithium-Ion Recovery from Batteries. Processes 2021, 9, 1939 MJ Regufe, VV Santana, AFP Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, JM Loureiro, ... s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published … , 2021 2021 Citations: 2
A systematic review of sustainable gold extraction from raw ores using alternative leaching reagents. Extractive Industries and Society, 9 (December 2020), 101018 R Sousa, MJ Regufe, A Fiúza, MM Leite, A Futuro 2021 Citations: 5
Adsorption material composition and process optimization, a systematical approach based on Deep Learning MJ Regufe, VV Santana, MM Martins, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro, ... IFAC-PapersOnLine 54 (3), 43-48 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Current developments of carbon capture storage and/or utilization–looking for net-zero emissions defined in the Paris agreement MJ Regufe, A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, AE Rodrigues Energies 14 (9), 2406 , 2021 2021 Citations: 137
Electrical conductive 3D-printed monolith adsorbent for CO2 capture MJ Regufe, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 278, 403-413 , 2019 2019 Citations: 116
New hybrid composite honeycomb monolith with 13X zeolite and activated carbon for CO2 capture MJ Regufe, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro, Y Shi, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro Adsorption 24 (3), 249-265 , 2018 2018 Citations: 82
Development of Hybrid Materials with Activated Carbon and Zeolite 13X for CO 2 Capture from Flue Gases by Electric Swing Adsorption MJ Regufe, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 59 (26), 12197-12211 , 2020 2020 Citations: 68
Syngas purification by porous amino-functionalized titanium terephthalate MIL-125 MJ Regufe, J Tamajon, AM Ribeiro, A Ferreira, UH Lee, YK Hwang, ... Energy & Fuels 29 (7), 4654-4664 , 2015 2015 Citations: 65
Evaluation of the potential of a 3D-printed hybrid zeolite 13X/activated carbon material for CO2/N2 separation using electric swing adsorption A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Chemical Engineering Journal 450, 138197 , 2022 2022 Citations: 51
Additive manufacturing for adsorption‐related applications—a review A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AE Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing 4 (1), e10108 , 2022 2022 Citations: 43
A systematic review of sustainable gold extraction from raw ores using alternative leaching reagents R Sousa, MJ Regufe, A Fiúza, MM Leite, A Futuro The Extractive Industries and Society 9, 101018 , 2022 2022 Citations: 35
Big data-based optimization of a pressure swing adsorption unit for syngas purification: On mapping uncertainties from a metaheuristic technique IBR Nogueira, MAF Martins, MJ Regufe, AE Rodrigues, JM Loureiro, ... Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 59 (31), 14037-14047 , 2020 2020 Citations: 35
Shaping of ZIF-8 and MIL-53 (Al) adsorbents for CH4/N2 separation A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 331, 111648 , 2022 2022 Citations: 32
CO 2 Storage on Zeolites and Other Adsorbents MJ Regufe, AM Ribeiro, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues Nanoporous Materials for Gas Storage, 359-381 , 2019 2019 Citations: 22
Resorcinol–formaldehyde carbon xerogel as selective adsorbent of carbon dioxide present on biogas JF Vivo-Vilches, AF Perez-Cadenas, FJ Maldonado-Hodar, ... Adsorption 24 (2), 169-177 , 2018 2018 Citations: 20
Synthesis of the Biofuel Additive 1, 1‐Diethoxybutane in a Fixed‐Bed Column with Amberlyst‐15 Wet MJ Regufe, RPV Faria, AM Ribeiro, JM Loureiro, AE Rodrigues Chemical Engineering & Technology 39 (8), 1509-1518 , 2016 2016 Citations: 20
A hybrid modeling framework for membrane separation processes: Application to lithium-ion recovery from batteries MJ Regufe, VV Santana, AFP Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, JM Loureiro, ... Processes 9 (11), 1939 , 2021 2021 Citations: 12
Recycling PCBs for nanoparticles production with potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and CO2 capture L Cunha, J Monteiro, A Futuro, MJ Regufe, J Soeiro, R Sousa Waste Management 191, 308-323 , 2025 2025 Citations: 10
Study of methane upgrading using an activated carbon 3D-printed adsorbent A Pereira, AFP Ferreira, A Rodrigues, AM Ribeiro, MJ Regufe Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 12 (1), 111730 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Current developments of carbon capture storage and/or utilization—looking for net-zero emissions defined in the Paris agreement. Energies, 14 MJ Regufe, A Pereira, A Ferreira, AM Ribeiro, AE Rodrigues doi 10, 2406 , 2021 2021 Citations: 9
Bio-inspired algorithms in the optimisation of wireless sensor networks J Matos, CM Rebello, EA Costa, LP Queiroz, MJB Regufe, IBR Nogueira arXiv preprint arXiv:2210.04700 , 2022 2022 Citations: 8
Adsorption material composition and process optimization, a systematical approach based on Deep Learning MJ Regufe, VV Santana, MM Martins, AFP Ferreira, JM Loureiro, ... IFAC-PapersOnLine 54 (3), 43-48 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
Methane upgrading on pelletised Maxsorb activated carbon by gas-phase simulated moving bed ROM Dias, MJ Regufe, AA Pereira, AFP Ferreira, AE Rodrigues, ... Adsorption 31 (1), 7 , 2025 2025 Citations: 5